Finding aid was encoded by Marvin Rusinek on November 9, 2006. Description is in English.

Contains papers and photos including correspondence and other materials relating to work as Chairman of the Jewish Agency for Palestine (and Israel), as National Chairman of the United Jewish Appeal, as a leading campaigner for Israel Bonds, and as co-founder of and Chairman of the Board of the Weizmann Institute of Science; 2 texts of radio broadcasts made in 1948 informing America about the Israeli war for independence and the new Israeli republic; a list of military equipment supplied by Mr. Stone to Israel in 1948; letters and biographical material relating both to pressure applied by Mr. Stone and others on Pres. Truman to recognize and support the new Jewish state and to Mr. Stone's financial support of Truman's campaign and the Democratic Party in 1948; materials on associations with Boston University (including the dedication of the Dewey D. and Harry K. Stone Science Building), and the Truman Library; tributes and awards; biographical material; memorials; miscellaneous speeches, presentations, and essays; miscellaneous press clippings; and various photographs. Among the correspondents are: Chaim Weizmann, Vera Weizmann, Abba Eban, David Ben Gurion, Harry S. Truman, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, the Rothschilds, Hubert Humphrey, Adlai E. Stevenson II, Teddy Kollek, Golda Meir, Richard Cardinal Cushing, Jacob Fine, Henry Ford II, Solomon Goldman, John M. McCormack, Meyer Weisgal, and Stephen S. Wise.
This collection also contains a number of items relating to Dr. Chaim Weizmann's career as a statesman and as the first President of the State of Israel. Also consists of Ann Stone's personal correspondence including letters for medical assistance with Lord Marcus J. Sieff of London.

Dewey David Stone (DDS) was born in Brockton, Massachusetts on August 31st, 1900. He served as a Sergeant Major in World War I, graduated from Boston University in 1920 and married Anne Abrams, also of Brockton, in 1923.

He played a role in U.S. politics, providing funds which aided Harry Truman in securing the 1944 Vice Presidential nomination and raising money for Truman's 1948 presidential campaign. DDS also assisted John F. Kennedy in his 1952 senatorial campaign by providing him the opportunity to address Massachusetts Jewish leaders. (Kennedy had had difficulty procuring invitations from Jewish organizations, due to his father's previous endorsement of Adolf Hitler.) DDS also served as an advisor to Kennedy during his presidential campaign.

DDS was a leading figure in the American Zionist movement. He was one of the founding members of the American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science; this Committee raised funds for the development and expansion of the Daniel Sieff Research Institute, receiving funds from individual donors and from the Zionist Organization of America, B'nai B'rith, Hadassah, the Canadian Zionist Organization, and the United Palestine Appeal of Canada. DDS served as Chairman of the Committee's board from its inception in 1944 until 1971. He also served as Chair of the Weizmann Institute's Board of Governors.

In 1946, DDS headed the U.S. operation to acquire boats to bring survivors of the Holocaust into Palestine and during the 1947-1948 United Nations debates, he played a major role in securing votes for the UN Partition Resolution. After the Resolution was passed, he helped Dr. Chaim Weizmann secure President Truman's recognition of Israel.

DDS was active in many Jewish organizations, serving as National Chair of the United Jewish Appeal from 1955 to 1963, of the United Israel Appeal from 1960 to 1968, and of the Jewish Agency from 1960 to 1968. He received many awards and honors, several of which are highlighted in the following chronology. He died in 1977.

Chronology of the Life of Dewey David Stone

1900

DDS born

1920

Graduates Boston University College of Business Administration

1923

Marries Anne Abrams

1944

American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science founded.

1948

Boston University science building named in honor of DDS and his brother Harry

1949

Formal dedication of the Weizmann Institute

1950

Receives honorary degree from Boston University

1952

Certificate of merit award from Jewish War Veterans

1958

Honorary degree from Stonehill College

1960

Receives honorary fellowship from Weizmann Institute

1966

New administration building of Weizmann Institute dedicated as "Anne and Dewey D. Stone Administration Building"

1969

Named associate founder of Boston University

1970

School in Kiryat Hayovel, Israel named in honor of DDS, in honor of his 70th birthday.

This collection documents the life of Dewey Stone (DDS). His involvement with the State of Israel and with Chaim Weizmann and the Weizmann Institute is heavily documented, as are his many philanthropic activities and his connection with a great many notable public figures and politicians. A small amount of correspondence received by DDS's wife Anne is included in the collection. The collection is organized into seven series, as follows: Correspondence, Weizmann Institute, Philanthropy, Israel, Personal, Anne Stone, and Photographs. Some material in English, Hebrew, and Yiddish is included.

The addendum contains additional information pertaining to Dewey D. Stone's activities, including his involvement with the Jewish Agency for Israel, the Zionist Congress, the Weizmann Institute, and United Jewish Appeal. There is also a speech given by Stone's nephew, Theodore Teplow, at the Dewey David Stone School in Jerusalem, and various medals, awards, and photographs. The addendum also includes various news clippings and articles about Stone and his relationship with Israel.

Access Restrictions

The collection is open to all researchers by permission of the Director of Library and Archives of the American Jewish Historical Society,
except items that are restricted due to their fragility.

Use Restrictions

Information concerning the literary rights may be obtained from the Director of Library and Archives of the American Jewish Historical Society. Users must apply in writing for permission to quote, reproduce or otherwise publish manuscript materials found in this collection. For more information contact:
American Jewish Historical Society, Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York, NY, 10011email:
reference@ajhs.org

Arrangement:

Alphabetical and chronological.

Scope and Content:

This series consists of DDS's correspondence with various notable individuals. The John F. Kennedy material includes invitations and tickets to Kennedy's Inauguration and Inaugural Gala, as well as a program for the Inauguration. Much of the correspondence concerns DDS's involvement with the Weizmann Institute. Also included are get well letters he received in 1962, after suffering a mild heart attack. (Some letters to his wife Anne are also included here.)

Arrangement:

Alphabetical and chronological.

Scope and Content:

This series documents DDS's involvement with the Weizmann Institute. The Institute developed from the Daniel Sieff Research Institute, which was founded in 1934. In 1944, the American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science was founded, with the goal of expanding the Sieff Institute into a leading research center.1 In 1946, the cornerstone was laid for the Institute's first building, and in 1949, the Institute was formally dedicated as the Weizmann Institute of Science. DDS was the first Chair of the Board of Governors of the Institute and of the Board of Directors of the American Committee: he served in these positions until 1971. Background material on the Institute can be found in the Informational Booklets folder and in the Special Events folders, which include a program for Founders' Dinner held by the American Committee in 1945, as well as programs for later Weizmann Annual Dinners. Also included are the 1967 By-Laws of the Institute's American Committee. Memorial material for Chaim Weizmann can also be found here, while additional correspondence with Weizmann can be found in Series I.

1 "50 Years of Scientific Research Excellence at the Weizmann Institute of Science: A Photographic Retrospective," 1984, P-529, Dewey D. Stone Collection, American Jewish Historical Society.

Arrangement:

Alphabetical and chronological.

Scope and Content:

This series concerns DDS's charitable and philanthropic activities. Of particular note is the list of military equipment sent to Israel in 1948 with DDS's assistance. Also included here is material on the Stone Charitable Foundation, which made contributions to a wide variety of organizations, ranging from Noemi Aid for Jewish Children to the Boston Symphony Orchestra. An anniversary book for the Zionist House of Boston is also located here. DDS was one of the founders of this organization, which aided people in Israel and also offered assistance to Israeli students in Massachusetts, by establishing an Israel Student Service program, to provide medical, educational, and cultural aid to students and their families. This series also includes material on the contributions DDS and his brother Harry made to Boston University, and on the Stone Administration Building at the Weizmann Institute. (Some related photographs can be found in the Photograph series.)

Box

Folder

Title

Date

Request

3

1

Aid to Israel: Aid to Israel Bill

1951

3

2

Aid to Israel: Athletics

1951, 1960, 1969

3

3

Aid to Israel: including List of Military Equipment Sent to Israel with Help of DDS

Arrangement:

Alphabetical and chronological.

Scope and Content:

Material documenting DDS's support of the State of Israel can be found here. Included here is material on President Truman's decision to support the State of Israel in 1948, and DDS's role in that decision. Several speeches and essays are located here, including an essay titled "As I remember Chaim Weizmann." Also of note is a transcript of a 1948 interview of DDS, entitled "Israel is Reborn" and conducted by a Brockton High School senior.

Box

Folder

Title

Date

Request

3

15

DDS and President Truman: Applying Pressure to Recognize and Support the State of Israel

undated, 1949-1977

3

16

Israeli Affairs

1951, 1954, 1963

3

17

Press Clippings and Coin

undated, 1945-1967

Box

Folder

Title

Date

Request

4

1

Radiobroadcasts: Informing American Public about 1948 Israeli War for Independence and New Israeli Republic

Arrangement:

Alphabetical and chronological.

Scope and Content:

This series contains personal material related to DDS's life. Included here are letters written to Anne Stone following DDS's death, as well as material on memorials and other tributes. Information on the joint tribute to DDS and Harry Levine on the occasion of their 70th and 75th birthdays can also be found here. Of particular note is the memorial edition of the program for President Kennedy's inauguration. Other materials of note include the June 1916 issue of Brockton High School's newsletter, Brocktonia. (This issue commemorates the class of 1916, of which DDS was the treasurer.) The newsletter can be found in the Biographical Materials folder.

Arrangement:

Alphabetical and chronological.

Scope and Content:

Located here are a wide variety of photographs, including images of DDS with notable individuals, including Secretary of State George C. Marshall, Israel Foreign Minister Moshe Sharett, Albert Einstein, John F. Kennedy, David Ben Gurion, Abba Eban, and many others. Several of the photographs have been labeled with captions by Anne Stone, and some are autographed. Many photographs of Chaim Weizmann can be found here, including photos of Weizmann with DDS and Anne Stone in 1949, on the occasion of his first visit to the U.S. as President of Israel. The 1949 dedication of the Weizmann Institute is also represented; included here is a photograph of Lady Rebecca Sieff, whose family had provided funds for the Daniel Sieff Research Institute, the precursor of the Weizmann Institute. Also of note are the photographs of the 1966 dedication of the Weizmann's Institute's Stone Administration Building, and photographs of the annual Weizmann dinners. One photograph is rolled and restricted.

Arrangement:

Arranged alphabetically by folder name.

Scope and Content:

This series contains the speech given by Theodore Teplow, Dewey D. Stone's nephew, at the Dewey David Stone School in Jerusalem, and a copy of the United Jewish Appeal Study Mission Report in 1957. Stone is featured on three pages of the report.

Arrangement:

Arranged alphabetically by folder name.

Scope and Content:

This series contains medals bestowed upon Stone for his service to Israel, the United States, and United Jewish Appeal. Also included is a personal copy of President Lyndon B. Johnson's Non-Proliferation Treaty of 1968 with correspondence, White House invitations to a dinner with President Shazar of Israel and the inaugurations of Presidents Truman and Johnson, a copy of Stone's birth certificate, and a history of Stone, written by Gottlieb Hammer.

Arrangement:

Arranged alphabetically by folder name.

Scope and Content:

This series contains an oversized, rolled photograph of the luncheon of the Democratic National Finance Committee of Washington, D.C. in 1949, and photographs of the Jewish Agency for Israel's meeting and dinner in 1965. The photograph of the Democratic National Finance Committee is extremely fragile and is stored in box 5 of the original collection.